Internet marketing firm atLarge, Inc. wins the 2011 Florida Companies to Watch award, an honor presented by GrowFL, the Florida Economic Gardening Institute at the University of Central Florida and ACG Florida, in association with the Edward Lowe Foundation.

Fifty companies from across Florida will receive their awards at an awards gala on Thursday, February 17 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Florida Companies to Watch is an awards program that celebrates privately held second-stage companies headquartered in the state. To be eligible, applicants must employ between 6 and 99 full-time equivalent employees and have between $750,000 and $50 million in annual revenue or working capital in place. Awardees are selected for demonstrating the intent and capacity to grow based on employee or sales growth, exceptional entrepreneurial leadership, sustainable competitive advantage or other notable strengths.

About atLarge, Inc.
We grow businesses by connecting and engaging customers online. Since 2004, our work has elevated sales, brand awareness and relationships. Look under the hood and you’ll see our work also integrates technologies, workflow and information—delivering insights and tools to manage everything from inventory to transactions. Who have we worked for? We’ve partnered with IMG Academies, LexJet, METI, Orlando Chamber of Commerce, PawsPlus, Ringling College of Art and Design, Ruth Eckerd Hall, the Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau and The Observer Group.

About Florida Companies to Watch
Florida Companies to Watch is unique because of its focus on second-stage companies and the wide-ranging industries they represent. The impact of these companies on Florida’s economy is immense, and this year’s honorees are examples of such companies in the state. During 2006-2008, Florida’s resident companies averaged more than 111,000 second-stage establishments according to YourEconomy.org, an online resource of the Edward Lowe Foundation. Those second-stage companies employed more than two million workers.

Looking at the contributions of these companies, only 6 percent of Florida’s resident establishments were in the second-stage category, however, they generated more than 31 percent of net new jobs in the state.

For more information, visit www.Florida.CompaniesToWatch.org and www.YourEconomy.org.

About GrowFL and the Florida Economic Gardening Institute
GrowFL is the official Economic Gardening Technical Assistance Pilot Program funded by the State of Florida and a program of the Florida Economic Gardening Institute.  Created in 2009 to stimulate investment in Florida’s economy by providing technical assistance for expanding businesses in the state, the Florida Economic Gardening Institute is headquartered at the University of Central Florida under contract with the State of Florida’s Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development under the Executive Office of the Governor. Additional information is available at www.GrowFL.com.

About ACG Florida
ACG Florida is a statewide collaboration of the four Florida chapters of the Association for Corporate Growth - Orlando, North Florida, South Florida and Tampa Bay.  ACG is the global community for middle market M&A dealmakers and business leaders focused on driving growth. ACG members have access to data, content and networking to access capital, make deals and drive corporate growth. Founded in 1954, ACG has grown to more than 13,000 members organized in 55 chapters throughout North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit ACG Florida's website.

About the Edward Lowe Foundation
The Edward Lowe Foundation inspired the creation of the Companies to Watch program to celebrate second-stage entrepreneurs and their companies. Established in 1985, the Edward Lowe Foundation is a Michigan-based nonprofit organization that supports entrepreneurship through recognition, education and research with a focus on second-stage companies—those that have moved beyond the startup phase and seek significant, steady growth. The foundation also encourages economic gardening, an entrepreneur-centered strategy providing balance to the traditional approach of business recruitment. For information, visit the Edward Lowe Foundation website.